// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
'Wear more clothes if it's cold,' schools told as energy bills rise
Staff and pupils at schools across Northern Ireland have been told to "wear more clothes" if it is cold in order to cut heating bills.
Schools have been told by the Education Authority (EA) to reduce heating and lighting "wherever possible".
The authority has said that school gas and electricity bills are set to rise by about £8m by March 2027.
The EA has written to school heads warning that increasing costs will affect school energy bills.
Kirsty Logan-Hall says her school is in an older building which presents energy efficiency challenges
Rising energy costs are already affecting households across Northern Ireland.
The impact of the US-Israel war with Iran is one of the factors behind the increase.
The letter from the EA to head teachers said that "recent geopolitical events are expected to have a substantial impact on energy costs across the Education Authority (EA) during the 2026/27 financial year".
It said that total school gas bills were expected to go up by 60% from £10.7m to £17m by March 2027.
Meanwhile, total school electricity bills are expected to rise by 5% from £23.8m to £25.1m by March 2027.